Chapter 1477 1476. Miami Is Not Too Hot (Asking for a Monthly Ticket, I Actually Wrote 11,000 Today)
On July 5, 2007, the Nuggets and Steve Blake reached a 3-year, $15 million agreement. The Nuggets used a mid-level contract to dig out Steve Blake, whose rookie contract had expired.
When this offer was sent to the Hawks, the Hawks did not match it, which meant that Blake would join the Nuggets.
Unlike completely free agents who had to wait until the 7th to officially sign, Blake had a qualifying offer from the Hawks. The Nuggets needed to formally sign with Blake before they could sign a contract one level higher than the qualifying offer. If the Hawks refused to match or waited for the matching time to end, the contract would be considered reached.
This was also a small help from the Hawks to the players who were determined to leave the team.
Liu Mang waited while training, waiting and waiting for many days, and the psychologically fragile O'Neal was still hesitating...
On July 8, the Hornets and the Heat reached a sign-and-trade deal.
The Heat reached a 3-year, $36 million contract extension with expiring free agent Tayshaun Prince, and sent him to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for a 2008 second-round pick and $2 million in cash compensation.
Prince... the Hawks can't sign him back, not for the time being, although Prince said that he would come back if Liu Mang asked him to. After the free market opened, Prince also asked Liu Mang if he needed him to come back.
Although Liu Mang missed Prince very much,... the Hawks could only afford a middle-class contract of just over $5 million. Prince had just turned 27 and was at his peak. It was no problem for him to get a contract worth tens of millions. Asking Prince to sacrifice his salary in vain... could he get six or seven million in endorsement and announcement fees with his reputation as a dancing king? Obviously not.
So Liu Mang suggested that Prince go to Paul.
The Hornets management went crazy after hearing the news that Prince wanted to join the team. It felt like luck had come...
Last year, they failed to make the New Orleans Troublemaker team a success. This year, Liu Mang tried to help 58's brother make up for it.
Paul, Prince, Durant, David West...
Paul, who is about to enter the peak year of his junior year, Liu Mang thinks they may be able to stir up the West...
Just when people were full of expectations for Portland's future, felt that the Knicks were making a few random trades again, and the Hornets got Prince at a bargain price to form Paul + Prince + David West + the second pick, another explosive news came...
...
...
Not in the top three but the strongest rookie, comparable to Paul and Deron...
If someone said this to Bird, Bird would spit in his face.
But now, Bird is helping the Hawks sign O'Neal.
Only when the Hawks signed O'Neal, Bird would know that name.
Moreover, Bird dared to submit the amnesty application to the league only after O'Neal agreed to sign with the Hawks.
Even if you play the worst, you may not get the No. 1 pick. Bird saw that his home team was the last and fourth pick, so he really didn't have any extravagant hope to get the No. 1 pick by playing the worst.
But if the strongest rookie is not in the top three, then Bird can be completely relieved. The top three depends on luck, and the fourth is still quite easy.
In the 2004 draft, besides Howard, is there anyone better than Iguodala and Josh Smith? It's hard to find. Bird believes what Price said.
For the Pacers, amnestying O'Neal is not a bad thing. First of all, it is easier to play the worst.
In addition, O'Neal's salary is not a small amount. Their salary last season was as high as more than 78 million, and they paid millions of luxury taxes. The Houston clause will expire if it is not used. The so-called expiration means that they did not sign the contract within a limited time period.
Now that there is no other Raptors team to help the Pacers get rid of O'Neal's contract, Bird feels that amnesty is not unacceptable, as long as the draft advice given by the Hawks is reliable.
This is a gamble, but Bird can only gamble now.
The key is the choice of the big man who is in the same room now.
How does it feel to be signed with a knife at your neck?
O'Neal feels it now...
He has long been prepared to be abandoned by the Pacers, but when he is really abandoned, O'Neal's fragile heart will collapse...
"Believe me, Jermaine, you will be an important part of our inside line, and you will not bear so much pressure. Ace and Tracy will help you. Let's deal with Kobe and Nash together and win the championship together..."
Listening to Price's words, seeing the amnesty clause application in front of him, and the contract given by the Hawks.
This... the money is also in hand, and you can also get a two-year exception, that is, the two years of 38 million guaranteed in the next contract, which suddenly becomes more than 42 million in two years...
And the opportunity to win Nash and Kobe is also very attractive to O'Neal.
"Is this a signing? Or is it a signing?"
O'Neal looked at the five-star hotel in Manhattan where he was staying, which cost five or six thousand dollars a night. In the past few days, Price also took him to all the famous clubs in New York...
Full of sincerity, too much sincerity, so much sincerity that O'Neal felt incredible.
Thinking of the tragic experience of falling from the peak of life in the past few years and the Pacers being unable to sell it, thinking of playing with Liu Mang, the Finals MVP, World Championship champion, and the best player in the world in the past four years, the new boss is still so sincere...
O’Neal felt that there was nothing worth hesitating about, so he picked up a pen and signed his name on the biennial exception.
As for the agent…
He fired his agent in the middle of the season and had planned to find a new agent in the summer, but now it was too late, so he just signed it himself.
“Jermaine, great, we are now on the same team. Do you need to go to Indiana to prepare for the move? I have prepared a charter plane for you. When you are ready to return to Atlanta, call me and I will prepare a charter plane for you.” Price quickly put away the contract, handed the amnesty application to Bird, and handed the contract documents to his secretary.
Finally signed! Price felt that his kidneys were about to be overdrawn these days…
After Bird handed the amnesty application to his secretary and asked the secretary to send it to the league, he pulled Price aside. He was anxious! Everything was done, and the reward had to be received!
“Charter plane?” O’Neal didn’t expect the Hawks to have even prepared this! It was like a bet that he would sign today!
Seeing Bird and Price hugging and whispering, this scene...
Before the draft, O'Neal could never have imagined that Bird would have such a good relationship with other team owners, so good that... O'Neal shuddered...
...
On the evening of the 8th, the NBA officially announced that the Pacers used the Houston clause to pardon Jermaine O'Neal, and the Hawks used the two-year special exception of 3.8 million for two years to sign Jermaine O'Neal.
The Hawks got O'Neal for free!
In other words, the Pacers just gave O'Neal to the Hawks for free to avoid paying the luxury tax, and they paid for the pardon of O'Neal's contract out of their own pockets!
When did Larry Bird, the general manager of the Celtics, have such a good relationship with the Hawks?
There was news before that the Hawks did not send Granger to the Pacers, and people thought that the Hawks were resentful of not getting Artest last year.
But now, like a brother, he helped the Hawks get O'Neal!
Fans with conspiracy theories actually guessed one of Liu Mang's methods...
...
...
"The Celtics don't want the Lakers to continue to win the championship, and they actively assist the Hawks. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Looking at the hottest comments on the Internet, Liu Mang felt that the fans who put forward this argument were right. There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.
Multiple factors helped Liu Mang achieve his goal of winning O'Neal!
Among them, not wanting the Lakers to continue to win the championship is obviously one of the important reasons.
Liu Mang has already started preparing for the European business activities starting on the 11th. He will fly from Atlanta to London on the 10th. After waiting for a long time, he finally received good news on the evening of the 8th!
Today, that is, on the 9th, the little loli is helping Alexia pack Liu Mang's luggage.
Liu Mang has been busy for the past ten days. He first gave advice to the management. On the 3rd, he met with Stockton, Moron Willie, the team's vice president, and Van Gundy. Coach Kruger went to the West for negotiations. Liu Mang talked with Stockton, Moron Willie and Van Gundy about the team's future prospects and Van Gundy's team status.
On the 5th, he drank and talked with Granger and Blake and wished them well.
Of course, training has never stopped. Liu Mang knows that his strength is the key to ensuring the integrity of the team. The team needs a super star like him to hold the team, which is something that even McGrady may not be able to do.
Liu Mang's personality is more suitable for being the boss than McGrady.
But now, Liu Mang didn't have time to call Price to celebrate before the business event, or contact Coach Kruger to see what was going on there. There was a strange piece of news that Liu Mang couldn't take his eyes off...
Yesterday, July 8, 2007, was a sad day for Heat fans...
For Heat fans who got Oden and expected Oden to quickly become a first-line star like LeBron James, the next season is destined to be a tragedy...
Just when Liu Mang and Alexia went to buy a few new suits for promotion in Europe and Asia, the Heat announced an important thing.
The Heat officially announced that Greg Oden found knee pain and swelling during training yesterday. After examination, it was found that the knee cartilage was worn and torn. An MRI was done last night and the report was received today, confirming the matter.
Greg Oden will not participate in this year's summer league and needs to change to another hospital for more detailed examinations and medical reports.
Cartilage abrasion tear, basically the season is over...
Liu Mang felt that the Heat was too miserable. On the same day, they lost Prince, and the newly selected No. 1 pick was directly over for his rookie season.
The key is that the Heat has not done anything yet. Oden refused to participate in the US team training camp, and has not played in the summer league yet...
Wait until five months later, when Wade returns...
Leshan...It was really hot during the day. It seemed that no one felt lost because we didn't see the Buddha during the team building. We played Landlord, Mahjong, and barbecued...These activities were all in the afternoon. I have to go out for a drink at 7 o'clock. I took some time to write a chapter. I have to go to Mount Emei tomorrow. It feels good. Please give me a monthly ticket!